What’s Wrong With the Philadelphia Eagles?
One week is all that’s left in the NFL regular season.
And things couldn’t be worse for a team that is coming off an NFC Championship.
The Philadelphia Eagles have stumbled to the end of the season, losing four of their past five and falling out of the NFC East lead. Before the slide, the Eagles were competing for the top seed and a first-round bye. Now, they’re seemingly relegated to a road playoff game against a division winner.
In true Philadelphian fashion, the Eagles are coming unglued at the worst time of year.
That begs the question, what’s wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles?
Defense Wins Championships
The starkest contrast between last year’s successes and this season’s defeats is the Eagles’ deteriorating defense.
In 2022, Philadelphia had the top-ranked total defense and seventh-ranked scoring defense. This year, those metrics plummeted to 23rd and 29th, respectively.
Personnel changes account for some of those differences, but don’t excuse the timing.
Getting Worse as the Season Progresses
Typically, following an offseason of change, the early part of the campaign is when we see teams struggle. But that phenomenon is reversed in Philadelphia. The Eagles defense has gotten worse as the season progresses.
Through the first seven games of the season, Philadelphia allowed an average of 290.3 yards per game. In the nine games since, that number has ballooned to 400.8 yards.
Experience a Factor
The defense has been relatively healthy outside of Darius Slay and Zach Cunningham, who missed some time with injuries. Still, many of the replacement players brought in to account for last year’s turnover are rookies. That’s negatively impacting the on-field product.
Philadelphia has seven rookies on the defensive side of the ball, many of whom have been asked to take on more prominent roles than expected. Limited experience is a factor in the Eagles’ woes.
More Daunting Schedule
Remember that 18 weeks of regular season action with only one bye and several short prep weeks is a much more rigorous schedule than college players are used to. On top of learning pro systems and competing at a higher level, young players are pushing their physical boundaries beyond anything they’re used to.
Offensive Deficiencies
As bad as the Eagles have been defensively, and they’re casting a wide shadow, we can’t absolve them of their offensive regression.
Philadelphia’s underlying offensive metrics are also taking on water. Using the same seven-to-nine game split, the Eagles averaged 389.3 yards per game in the early part of the season, dropping to 333.3 over their last nine.
The tush push only gets a team so far, and it’s time for the Eagles to get real about what’s holding them back.
Jalen Hurts
The hard truth Eagles fans don’t want to hear is that Jalen Hurts hasn’t replicated last year’s MVP-caliber season. Hurts’s metrics have fallen across the board. He’s averaging fewer passing yards per game, yards per completion, rushing yards per game, rushing yards per attempt, etc. The list goes on.
The Eagles’ Field General isn’t as effective as he was last year. Arguably, the most significant difference is his ability to protect the football.
Turnovers
Hurts is getting reckless. His 14 interceptions this season nearly match the 19 from the first three seasons of his career. His interception percentage is the highest in his career, taking the ball out of the Eagles’ hands and keeping valuable points off the board.
Combined with a less imposing defense, Philadelphia’s turnover margin per game has fallen from +0.6 in 2022 to -0.4 this season. That difference is best represented in serial position, with the Eagles collapsing from their second-ranked perch last year to 23rd in 2023.
Final Thoughts
Football is a cruel game. One season, you’re less than ten minutes away from being champions. The following season, you’re spiraling toward an early postseason exit.
There’s not one easy fix to help Philadelphia salvage its season. Their defense is imploding, Hurts is less effective, and the Eagles can’t protect the football.
The silver lining for Philadelphians is that it’s just seven short weeks before pitchers and catchers report. Then it’s only a matter of time before the Phillies break their hearts.
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